The Town of Spišská Nová Ves Is Ready. What about Your Town?
Spišská Nová Ves, a fairly famous town in the east of Slovakia, is ready to warn its inhabitants in case of an industrial or natural disaster thanks to a reliable warning system installed all around the city area.
Spišská Nová Ves
Spišská Nová Ves is a mid-sized medieval town in Slovakia, with a population of 38,000 and an area of 66.67 km2. It is situated on the main railway from Košice to Bratislava (the capital of Slovakia), with a connection to the Czech Republic and Ukraine. The nearby international airports in Poprad-Tatry and Košice ensure its accessibility by air.
Spišská Nová Ves is one of the oldest towns in the country – the first mention in writing dates as back as to 1268. The city is famous for numerous rarities, attracting thousands of tourists every year. The typical attraction and the core of the town is a lens-shaped square, the longest of its kind in Europe. The dominating feature of the square and also the most valuable monument from the artistic and historical point of view is the 13th-century three-naved Gothic church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with the highest church tower in Slovakia (87 m).
The town is also the entrance to probably the most beautiful national park in Slovakia – the Slovak Paradise, which makes it even more attractive. Besides, there is a winter stadium, sports arena, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, bowling alley, horse riding and tennis facilities, the Reduta theatre, and a zoo, providing lots of opportunities for entertainment.
Warning System in Spišská Nová Ves
The warning system in Spišská Nová Ves forms a part of the Slovak national warning system called SEHIS (the Slovak National Early Warning and Notification System). The SEHIS system, consisting of almost 3,000 electronic sirens, is one of the most significant siren projects in the world. Eleven of these sirens are located in this beautiful city.
The system utilises only electronic sirens with robust, weather-resistant horns, digital technology, two-way wireless communications units, and 72-hour power backup in case of a power failure. It is controlled from 8 mutually backed-up control centres, situated in 8 regional capitals.
Where Can You Find the Sirens?
If you have decided to visit Spišská Nová Ves and take a walk in its picturesque streets, raise your head, look up and find the sirens. In the pictures below, you can see the sirens installed on the roofs of the following buildings:
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1. Slovenska sprava ciest, Teplicska Road
2. Hotel Sport, Terezia Vansova Street
3. Štátny geologický ústav Dionýza Štúra, Markusovska Road
4. Zdravotnícke stredisko, Agatova Street
5. OR HaZZ, Brezova Street
The article was written by
Petra Rychtarcikova
Petra is an international business manager in charge of Spanish, French and Portuguese-speaking countries. Petra, with her global, economic and logistic background and knowledge of four languages, does very productive and responsible work for Telegrafia. Latin-American affairs, travelling, tourism and electronic sirens are her hobby, and she is pleased to bring you exciting information from the Telegrafia world.